


Gentler Tides

by midnightfeast



Series: Twisted [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: A happier alternative to my other story Only Ours, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:49:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26211451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnightfeast/pseuds/midnightfeast
Summary: After a dead branch hit Kagami's head hard enough to split his skull, Madara and Tobirama can do nothing, but wait in front of the surgery hall while their child is undergoing emergency surgery to save his life.This is the happier version of my other story `Only Ours´.
Relationships: Senju Tobirama/Uchiha Madara
Series: Twisted [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1903561
Comments: 10
Kudos: 103





	Gentler Tides

**Author's Note:**

> After another late night binge write and for my own peace of mind, I wanted to give my other story `Only Ours´ a happier alternative too.
> 
> I am not a medical professional and all the medical details in this story stem from some research and a long phone call to my best friend who is in med school (but certainly not a full-fledged doctor).
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> These characters are property of Masashi Kishimoto.  
> And english is not my first language so they may be all sorts of errors (as usual).

The hours in front of the surgery hall managed to be the longest hours of Tobirama’s life. 

Simultaneously, he remembers very little from any of the conversation that must have taken place. Their family took turn in trying to fill the silence with low whispers, but neither Madara nor Tobirama had the nerve to unclench their jaw and indulge them in small talk.

That Madara and he have very different ways of coping with stress had never been as obvious as then, entrapped in that 10 x 15 (meters) room. Madara stomped around the hall, barely able to calm his hands or legs, even when he sat for a couple of minutes. 

And yet, Tobirama could not bring himself to join him, because the idea of moving an inch further from the wall that their child was behind, dying without them, had his blood pressure drop dangerously.

For Tobirama, the biggest cause of anxious nerves was the uncertainty of what was happening behind these closed doors. So when his thoughts started stumbling into frantic spirals of possible outcomes, one as absurd as the next, Izuna suggested to read up on something more scientific. 

Tobirama bought every eBook and online research paper he could find with the limited knowledge he had on Kagami’s condition and the medical procedure taking place, but he skimmed through outcomes and percentages and pictures and graphic descriptions of procedures on his phone at least helped to clear his thoughts into something more manageable. 

Only to grow antsy when his phone battery eventually died, but luckily Mito’s handbag of wonders contained a charger and a power bank.

There was something else that he had not felt before like this. 

To them even years later, fear would smell like sterile wards and metallic red, tasted like ulcerous coffee and stale white bread. Tobirama was sure, should he ever have to return to that room, he would have flashbacks trenched in this feeling alone.

He saw it reflected in Madara’s eyes whenever he came over to cling to him and exchange low whispers of care. (Tobirama wanted to ask him to stay close like this for a little longer than a few minutes, but he could not bear the thought of torturing him into stillness like this.)

(Are you drinking enough? Does your head hurt too? Should we eat something? Do you feeling like your dying as well?)

He heard it in his parents’ voices as they tearfully whispered to one another and thought he was too absorbed to listen. 

It was crawling in his own throat and corseted his chest. 

When, after hours and horrendous amounts of coffee, the surgeon finally came to talk to them in that small, cramped waiting area, Tobirama initially remembered only one thing from their talk, because the second she said it, the tension in him snapped. 

“He will make it and has a good chance to a fully recovery.” 

That it was from the lift of a detrimental weight and the relief to finally breathe again after what felt like a drag through nine realms of searing hell did not change the fact that he cried. First into the palm of his hands and almost curled over form the release of tension, but then pulled against Madara’s shoulder, strands of hair tickling his neck and he could not find the energy to care that everyone was there to watch him sob.

His mother would later tell him that this moment had his father terrified, because he had never seen him dissolve like that. 

That Madara was comforting him and collected enough to ask the right questions would always be a testament to how they slotted together as a functioning pair.

Kagami had to be watched in the post-anaesthetic care unit and only Madara and Tobirama were allowed to visit under strict guidelines. While a nurse was checking the cords and plugs of their still unresponsive child, they found themselves hardly able to stay back.

Kagami’s face was slightly swollen, his body only covered by a medical robe and so many needles attached that the phantom stitches had Tobirama twitch. The machines cramped beside and behind his bed had his small body dwarf even more.

There were other patients and other machines lined up with plenty of space between them, but despite how unnerving the noise level of so many machines would have made Tobirama normally feel, he could not find himself to care.

Only because Kagami was so young, they were they allowed to stay and even settle on the mattress next to him once his vitals had proven to be stable enough to the nurses. 

The first tender touch of their hands on Kagami’s chest with the rhythmic raise of his lungs had Madara and Tobirama exhale visibly.

During the first hour, they were glued to his side to feel his steady pulse despite the gentle beep of the monitors that was indication enough that he was breathing and alive. Feeling and seeing him twitch in his unconsciousness once the medications subsided was another relief.

That they could still not be sure whether he had lasting brain damage was unnerving. As long as he woke and showed awareness even if he was severely limited in his functions, Tobirama felt that they would manage.

He took longer than normal to wake too, which worried the nurses and in return Madara and Tobirama. 

It was while Madara had physically forced himself to leave and get them much needed bottles of water, that Tobirama unconsciously closed his eyes in a provided chair to drift into a very light doze only to be alerted by a dry cough and rustling sheets at his side. 

Never in his life had he been more relived to be woken and Tobirama had already stood and softly caught Kagami’s hand before it could scratch at his IV needles. 

Then a soft sniffle, fluttering eyelids and a teary, but slurred voice had his eyes burn with relief. “Papa? Daddy?” 

Kagami only started fully crying as Tobirama sat on the mattress next to him again to cup his cheek and have him press against his side. His voice was hoarse, he had to clear his throat twice before he felt like he would sound reassuring enough to calm his child. “Love, he is just getting some water.” 

But Kagami did not cease his crying as he clutched onto Tobirama and kept asking for Madara too. They were not allowed phones in this area, otherwise he would have called him immediately.

It ached to let go of him even for only a second, but he lifted one hand to wave over a nurse who had just gone to look after another patient. 

It took less than five seconds for her to come over which had Kagami inch as close to Tobirama as his cords allowed and they were asked all sorts of questions. 

And then tests were done and movement was checked and despite his reluctance to speak to a stranger, visibly still hazy and uncoordinated from the heavy medication, Kagami did his best to answer and follow instructions with Tobirama’s sweet but firm insistence.

It was not even five minutes later that Madara walked in. 

Tobirama saw the moment Madara was caught by the wave of relief, because he stumbled over to them and dropped the bottled water. Kagami came out of his shyness to reach for him and tear up again. “Dad.”

Tobirama stood to allow him to sit close to Kagami too and not hinder the nurses on the other bedside, but he stayed right behind Madara’s back and clasped his shoulder. 

The young woman was patiently waiting until they had recomposed themselves.

“He has to stay here under our watch for at least another two hours because he took so long to reach consciousness.” She smiled at them apologetically, but with a reassuring nod she added. “But his liveliness and mobility are what we like to see in patients expected to make a full recovery.”

“Will his speech remain slurred?” Madara asked.

“To be frank, with blunt head trauma like this, there is a number of variations that could come up and we will need to watch him closely over the next week at least to rule out any long lasting damage. This could be permanent, but most likely it will get better with time and training.” She looked over towards another patient quickly. “If he stays stable, the team in the PICU will assign a number of different specialists to work through any problem that arises, like speech or balancing.”

“Thank you.” 

And then they were allowed a moment of privacy to fuss over Kagami and dry his teary cheeks. He insisted to be sandwiched between them and instead of scratching his corded wrists, Madara took of his pullover and allowed him to cuddle the fabric. 

Still, Kagami’s nose scrunched in displeasure as he held onto Tobirama’s hand with surprising strength and despite his slur, he managed to sound cranky. “Why are we in the hospital?”

They shared a look over Kagami’s head, unsure how much information to reveal to not make him anxious, but calm his worries too. 

The police had briefly spoken to them in the waiting area. The neighbour was under investigation for negligence, but Tobirama eventually opted for the most general approach. “You had an accident at Torifu’s birthday party. Do you remember anything?” 

“Only that we had cake.” And then he giggled and tried to stretch his arms to the side, but Madara caught them before they could tear at his needles. “And so much ice crème.”

“So plenty of fun.” Tobirama concluded.

“Yea, but I don’t remember anything after.”

Madara pitched in. “Your head got hit by a branch.” 

Kagami looked surprised. “A branch?”

And the familiarity of his expression had Tobirama and Madara exchange a sappy smile. “A big one.”

“As big as my arm?”

But now Madara full on smirked. “Longer than your papa is tall.”

That seemed to impress Kagami. “Really? But papa you’re at least ten feet tall. Isn’t that a bit long for a branch?” And that had both Madara and Tobirama laugh out, but stifle their noise quickly.

“Love, I’m not that tall.”

“Hm.” Kagami seemed doubtful, but Tobirama very rarely lied to him so he was bound to believe him, but eventually yawned. “When can we leave? I’m tired.”

“In two hours we move to our own room and get to stay there for a couple of days.” 

That was not the answer Kagami was looking for and Tobirama knew as much and sure enough, Kagami elaborated. “But when can we go home?”

Madara gave him more fabric of his pullover to twist in his tiny fingers. “As soon as your injury is healed enough.” 

“Until then, we get to watch as many films as you want together.”

That seemed to please Kagami, so when a nurse came back, he was more cooperative. They had turned up his pain medication, but had explained that it may need to be adjusted further. “Honey, are you in pain? Does anything hurt?” 

“My head, but only a little.” 

Kagami was lifting a hand again to touch the bandage under which his suture and hairless head was hidden, but Tobirama softly caught his wrist again and held it in between his own so much larger hands. “We shouldn’t touch your head to help the wound heal, okay?”

They administered a little more pain medication, but Kagami grew only more agitated so Madara pulled him against his chest and came up with a story that had even Tobirama zone out to his soft, deep voice as the nurses talked over medication and what to note down in their report.

Kagami stayed stable, his vitals normal and they were allowed to relocate to their room in the Paediatric ICU. Kagami’s plea that one of them walk by the side of his bed through the hallways was heartfelt enough that the nurses indulged them until they reached the room and they had to unhook and rehook all necessary cords and plugs.

It was early in the morning, the sun had not even risen, but once Madara and Tobirama turned on their phones again, they had several missed calls and messages from their family who were itching for an update. 

They made a short video, having Kagami wave into the camera as he smiled from between blankets and pillows, still holding onto Madara’s pullover like a lifeline. And eventually had something like a big family video chat that lasted for about twenty minutes until Kagami fell asleep in between them again.

A nurse came over every hour to check on them, but as Kagami was well asleep, Madara and Tobirama found themselves not calm enough to rest just yet. 

So they lay cramped on either side of their child, heads carefully kept away from his bandages and all cords and lines masterfully arranged around them to not tear. 

They took a long time, just resting in silence and listening to Kagami’s machines and their even breathing until Tobirama suddenly whispered into the silence between them. “Do you remember when we were allowed to first hold him?” 

Madara hummed, but pressed his hand so Tobirama continued. “He was so tiny. When they placed him in my arm I thought I surely would crush him if I held him to close.”

“Then he puked all over you.” 

“And you still took a photo even though I said you shouldn’t.” Now Madara laughed, but so soft, it was barely more than the shaking of his shoulders and fingers underneath Tobirama’s gently caress and the vibrations in his skin. 

“It is a glorious picture. We will show it on his wedding day.”

Now they stilled again.

Thoughts of a future that not even four hours ago had seemed uncertain had cold shivers running up Tobirama’s spine again. 

Madara seemed to be thinking down the same line of thoughts, because he started, “Can you imagine what…”, but Tobirama stopped him before he could even vocalise it. “No and I don’t want to.” 

They had had Kagami in their life for less than a sixth of their lifespan and still Tobirama knew he could never return from being a father. The thought alone had his stomach turn. “I think we need another holiday once all of this is done. Go to the sea again. Watch the tides change.”

“Serene enough for me.” Madara grasped his hand harder, caressed his fingers with the pad of his thumb. 

And they could do nothing but stare at one another.

Until Madara’s face inched closer, carefully minding Kagami’s body between them, and kissed him softly, chaste and still it mended something in Tobirama that had ripped in its twisted turns. “The last time we were in a hospital with him, we got to take him home healthily. Hopefully this time we’ll get the same.” 

They talked till the sky trenched the drifting clouds in purple-pink light.

Even when they had still been only friends in their early teens, their conversations had been long and healing. 

In a way, Tobirama felt fifteen again, deeply in love for the first time and eagerly drinking in every second of happiness spend in Madara’s company.

They eventually both laid relaxed on the mattress, intertwined hands above Kagami’s stomach, Madara’s breaths had evened out. 

As the sun rays shifted to shine into Kagami’s face, Tobirama found himself lifting his free hand to shield his sensitive eyes from direct sun light. Even when his arm got heavy and his muscles ached, he kept its position.

Tobirama still could only lay awake and watch the sun drench Madara’s hair and skin in soft colour. 

That he loved Madara, he had long known.

That he would never love another like this, he fully realised only now.

That he eventually drifted to sleep despite the noise of the machines, lulled in by the comfort of having both of them here, warm and save within his reach, was sign enough that to him `home´ had two heartbeats.

That a nurse checked on them every hour neither of them noticed, even Tobirama, who normally slept light enough to wake with a strong breeze, stayed asleep.

A nurse and a doctor woke him at around 7am and Tobirama gently shook Madara’s shoulders too and pressed kisses on Kagami’s cheeks till he startled awake giggling.

His bandages were changed and even though Tobirama had looked at hundreds of pictures of wounds like this the day before his knuckles still whitened and Madara had to cover them with his soothing warm palm to ease the tension.

They were delivered breakfast and informational leaflets as well and Madara read them short stories until Kagami grew bored.

Madara’s parents came over around at around 8am with a bag of spare clothes and another entire bag of snacks. 

Tobirama’s parents came at around 9am to drop of a backpack containing their laptops and tablets, enough of Kagami’s favourite books and his plush cat to give him additional comfort.

That Kagami would puked all over them more than once during the morning was a small setback and after a hasty shower and more CAT scans they were all relieved to see that it was at least not due to brain swelling. 

Kawarama and Itama came straight from the airport after their rapidly booked overnight-flight to sit with them for twenty minutes until Kagami got tired again and they left with a promise to return the next day.

Hashirama, Mito, Izuna and his wife dropped in after lunch, only to gift them all sorts of streaming services and audiobook and ebook providers fully payed for a year so they would not grow bored eventually.

They watched so many episodes of `Avatar: The Last Airbender´ that Tobirama could feel his brain turning liquid with all the time spend staring at a screen and the little sleep they got. 

So when Kagami fell into a midday nap, Tobirama found himself being manoeuvred onto the mattress by Madara with the promise to keep watch while they slept. 

“Pa, look!” Right as Tobirama had opened the door with fresh clothing in a bag, Kagami screamed at him from the bed and lifted something he recognised. Madara’s hand shot up to keep Kagami from dropping it in his excitement. “Dad says it’s mine!”

“If dad says so it must be true.” He replied dryly.

They had gotten him something they had previously agreed despite his pleas to not get him at least until he was old enough to appreciate it more. Well… keeping their small, easily excitable son occupied and still was exhausting and so Madara had ordered him that Nintendo device his older cousins already had. 

Tobirama and Madara shared a look of complex emotions, both obviously not sure if this would turn out to have been a mistake, but Tobirama could not help but smile as he set down the bag and went over at Kagami’s insistence. 

“Don’t forget what we agreed on. No more than an hour at a time to keep your head from hurting, hm?” Kagami could only nod in his excitement and under Madara’s instructions he turned it on and set it up, while Tobirama cleaned their mess of a room. 

He snatched a picture or thirty for their collection and send them into their family chat too.

Two weeks spend with reading copious amounts of children’s books, watching movies, episodes and daily visits by family and friends, plenty of lost sleep, blood tests, CAT scans, mobility training, and bad hospital food were needed to get the doctors to agree on Kagami’s medically stable condition. 

He would need physical therapy to recover full balance and movement in his neck as well, but he was able to eat and drink on his own as well as walk and stand, so with a recovery plan in hand, physical therapy scheduled, clear instructions on how to care for the injury, a long list of `does and don’ts´, and a bag of prescription medication to continue they were released to return home.

Madara and Tobirama had taken turns with short trips home to wash their clothing or check the mail, but to finally pack their things that had spread across all surfaces in that small room they had made `theirs´ temporarily, felt like the end of a trying journey.

Kagami could walk, but Madara took most of their luggage to the car before so Kagami could hold a hand of theirs each mostly for comfort. They took a small round to say goodbye-for-now to Kagami’s favourite nurses and doctors which they would only see during the next check-up if nothing else went wrong.

It was early enough in the morning for the wind breezing past them to still be chilling as they left the hospital and Kagami drew in his head and hid behind Madara’s broad shoulders from the coldness on his bare head.

He was able to get in his car seat himself all the while whining about not being allowed to play with his friends right away. Most of them had shown up with their parents in tow during the second week, but something wilder than a Lego build had not been allowed and was still not suitable till the stitches on his wound had fully healed and Kagami was able to run again without a random stumble.

Madara sat in the back with him and Tobirama did his best to concentrate on the work-day traffic to get them home swiftly.

Their apartment was mostly as they had left it. They had taken out the trash and done laundry, but the TV remote was still on top of the coffee table and some of Kagami’s animal figurines were still set up on the carpet. 

Hashirama had volunteered to water their plants. Itama had done some grocery shopping so their fridge was fully stocked. Madara’s siblings had organised for a meal delivery service to provide them with two warm and fresh meals per day for as long as they needed.

That Kagami wanted to crawl into bed with them for that first night, Tobirama and Madara agreed after he was asleep between them once more, was something they had hoped for too. 

“We were incredibly lucky.” Tobirama whispered into the silence of their room. To say it out loud, even as a whisper, had his eyes burn again.

Lucky indeed.

In all regards. 

To have gotten him. 

To have had tiny hands curl around their pinkies. To have his brilliant smile and bright eyes look at them before anything else. To have him still trust them to keep him save, even after they failed to protect him from this.

And now to be allowed to keep him longer.

**Author's Note:**

> For me, this certainly helped after I reread my sad version of this.
> 
> I hope it does the same for you! Feel free to leave a kudo or comment if you liked it.


End file.
